This is my second and last review of the Ugly Dog in Highlands. The food has gone downhill in the past few years but the service is horrible! The table next to ours heard us talking about the lack of napkins and silverware and gave us some from their table. The waitress never asked if everything was good or of we needed anything else. The place does not seem to care, especially about locals who support them during the winter. NEVER AGAIN! read more

Good food and great decor and environment! Service was a little slow, but very nice! Would 100% recommend for a quick bite.

Service in the restaurant was great-our waiter was very good, but the food has been going down hill for a while. We have been coming to Highlands for over 10 years now, and have really noticed a difference. In addition, we had terrible customer service in the Gift Shop today. We have spent thousands of dollars there throughout the years, but we're unable to exchange a sweatshirt, even if we exchanged for something of less value. Definitely not the place we remember and love. read more

First of all, all dogs are puppies and none of them are ugly. There are literally 100s if not 1000s of framed photos of dogs on all of the walls of this place. And every single one is smiling! I'm not a dog person and I love this place! This very casual spot is a very short walk from the center of town (which is all of 3 1/2 blocks) in Highlands, NC. It was recommended to me by a local who said, "If you're into hamburgers and hot dogs with beer, you should go there" and that's exactly what we did. I ordered the mushroom Swiss burger with fries and my partner ordered a chili cheese dog with blue cheese coleslaw AND the smoked bourbon BBQ pork sandwich with fries (he was hungry?) No pics of the dog, but it was the biggest, fattest hot dog I've ever seen. ¼lb all beef with beefy, chunky chili. The blue cheese slaw was topped with tangy crumbles and seasoned with black pepper and celery seeds. It was so good, it tasted like something I'd make myself at home. My burger was perfect and the fries were hot, coated and crunchy. The best part: the little caddy of Hellmans mayo, French's mustard and tomato ketchup right on the table. No need to ask for condiments to Jeri the servers running ragged. Speaking of servers, ours was lovely and did a great job. I'd totally come back here for another casual lunch. And I'd get to have 100s of dogs smiling down on me as I eat. read more

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The Ugly Dog Pub hit the spot after a day of hiking and exploring the Highlands. The restaurant's pub atmosphere is more humble than the restaurants on Main Street. The perfect spot for a beer and some pub food. The burgers are excellent, and they offer some nice combinations. Our table ordered the Pimento, Mushroom Swiss, and Guacamole Burgers. The hamburger patties are thick and flavorful. The toppings are fresh, generous, and perfectly complement the patty. Great place to go! read more

The Ugly Dog Pub - Burgers clockwise, Mushroom Swiss, Guacamole, Pimento - New American Near Me - Highlands, North Carolina

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We came here several times during our stay. Enjoyed everything we ate. We will come back here again

5 stars for customer service. Spencer was a great server, super friendly and definitely a dog person (always a good sign!). The girl who came out with my food was really friendly too. Sorry I didn't catch her name. The food was a generous portion and had good flavor. The fish was just a little dry. The fries were crispy on the outside and soft in the middle...perfection. They also had really nice flowers at each table outside. A nice little touch. Definitely recommend, great hospitality! read more

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Fun, festive venue with live music, great selection of beers and spirits. Did not eat here, but enjoyed our quick drink over some live bluegrass. read more

The Ugly Dog Pub - Stage at the Ugly Dog - New American Near Me - Highlands, North Carolina

We stopped into the Ugly Dog Pub on a recent visit to Highlands at the advice of a co-worker who had visited the area before. We thoroughly enjoyed our meal. I liked the moody vibes of the restaurant and the food was phenomenal. I ordered the Rise and Shine Burger. It came with a large patty (cooked to order), covered in American cheese, an over medium egg, crispy bacon, and topped off with schmear of Ugly Dog Dip (which is a cream cheese based dip loaded with sausage and tomatoes ). I had the tater tots, which were cooked to perfection and not the least bit greasy. My husband had the Roast Beef Dip which was also delicious. read more

The Ugly Dog Pub - TUD Roast Beef Dip - New American Near Me - Highlands, North Carolina

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After an afternoon of putzing around Highlands wanted a simple dinner and cocktails. What a pleasant surprise dining at the Ugly Dog Pub .. Fun atmosphere, great service, delicious food and a cute Tshirt to round out the night . Will definitely be back when visiting Highlands . read more

EXCELLENT food. Everything we got was amazing. Chips and queso, smash burgers, pizzas, and chicken tenders. Every bit of it was awesome. Try the new onion rings. Spectacular. I'd share a pic but I ate it too fast. Our server was awesome too. Attentive and hospitable. read more

This is a fun pub. I sat at the bar and enjoyed a local draft along with their roasted salmon BLT with a side of blue cheese slaw. The food was very good. Love all the dog photos on the wall. read more

The Ugly Dog Pub - a dog with a paper bag on his head - New American Near Me - Highlands, North Carolina

Nice place, enjoyed the chill ambience. Server was attentive, but not overbearing. Beer selection was average. My wife had a sausage and Swiss burger, which was pretty fantastic. I enjoyed a beef dip sandwich, which was quite good. Let's get down to business... Their fries are amazing. Epic. Would return. read more

Great food better staff and great spot to eat with our dog. Enjoyed the day with my wife and our dog in town after a very satisfying lunch read more

We stopped here for an early dinner. We asked for a table for two but were told we would have to wait. Tables were open so I'm guessing it was because of a shortage of employees. We decided to sit at the bar. The bartender was friendly. The food we ordered was decent (pub food). The only gripe I had was the roast beef dip was over cooked. The meat was chewy and had little to no flavor. The pizza and pimento cheese dip were good. read more

Food was fantastic, hot and very tasty. The FRIES are scrumptious!! Hot, crispy and perfectly seasoned read more

The Ugly Dog Pub - Wings and an order of fries - New American Near Me - Highlands, North Carolina

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Excellent food and service. Kid and adult friendly. There's nothing ugly about the dogs in this place. We will be back and bring pics of our pups. read more

Very good service. Clean place. Large bar. Had the smash burger which was very good. Open later than many restaurants in the area.

Wonderful restaurant very dog friendly very centered around dogs. Staff is green beer selection. Great food is delicious. Really nice bar. They have banjo music one day week. I guess just an all-around great downtown local bar. read more

Fantastic lunch today! We had the Bacon Pimento Burger and Salmon BLT, they were both excellent! The French Fries were out of this world tasty. Sayne did a perfect job with the service. read more

The Ugly Dog Pub - Bacon Pimento Burger w/ Fries - AWESOME!! - New American Near Me - Highlands, North Carolina

Great atmosphere, friendly staff and the food is delicious! Our family of 8 (visiting the area from Orlando) arrived at 530pm on a Tuesday, parking was a breeze and we were seated immediately. We enjoyed the notsougly dog pictures and art as we waited for our food. The loaded tots, guac, jap.Mac.bites, and pretzels were quickly polished off by our group to start. Pimento bacon burger, slaw dog and pesto chicken sandwich were order by our crew among other things. All meals were cooked and seasoned well, came out hot and quickly. Our waitress was attentive and sweet. We made a stop at the gift shop for some UDP gear before we left. We highly recommend to others, and will be back when we are in the area. Thank you Ugly Dog! read more

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Very popular spot for good reason. Food and service are great, and prices are very reasonable for the area. Get there early or late--there's always a wait. Get on the list and walk around or visit a store. Good kids menu. Good GF options with knowledgeable servers. I got the cheeseburger with gluten free bun, which was very good. Brussel sprouts went through a shared fryer but otherwise GF were also fantastic. I wish I knew who made the GF bun. So good. The kid's lemonade was Meyer's- very good too with free refills. Can't wait to go back. read more

The Ugly Dog Pub - GF cheeseburger - New American Near Me - Highlands, North Carolina

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Good food and fun atmosphere. We stopped by and unbeknownst to us, it was trivia night. Didn't expect to stay and play but we did. Great service as well. read more

Great down to earth vibe in a fancy town. When you are tired of shopping for art and real estate, come here.

An afternoon jaunt to Highlands, NC on a lazy weekday afternoon, landed us at this local spot. Prior Yelp reviews gave it pretty consistent reviews, so why not?? The restaurant/ bar wasn't busy. It was mid-afternoon, 2:00-ish, so our party of 5 were amongst a few other late lunchers that stopped by. Plus, this town, like others in the area are in "hibernation" mode through the winter. When you first walk in, you'll notice that they are all about puppy dogs! There were literally a couple hundred photos of people's dogs all over the place. The vibe was very chill and laid back. No real pressure, no rush, just relax and have yourself a beverage and some food. We ordered a couple appetizers. The jalapeño Mac & Cheese bites and the Pretzels with Queso cheese dip. These were both fantastic! Highly recommend both. Two of our party ordered the Roast Beef Dip. One with the Dog House Salad and the other with a side of fries. The salad was HUGE and full of flavor. Loved it! This Roast Beef Dip was pretty delish to be honest. Large portion. Beef was tender and had great flavor. Au Jus was spot on. Very solid sandwich. I had the crispy fish wrap with a side of the blue cheese coleslaw. Wasn't sure what to think at first. But overall, it was very good. The wrap was battered white fish with an array of greens and a house dressing. I would have preferred to have a tarter sauce of some sort in addition, but they did not have anything like that. Still a very solid recipe. Lastly, a bacon pimento burger and a classic cheese burger were both given a thumbs up by their respective devourers. They served both of these burgers with French fries. And the fries were delicious! Really good. We finished off with a cookie and ice cream desert. it was ok.... They should serve the cookie warm. It would make a big difference. For the what it's worth department, The table across from us complained about nearly every item they were served. They had two of the same entrees. Fish wrap and beef dip. However, ours were great. They were clearly disappointed and wanted a full refund. Maybe two different cooks in the kitchen. Overall, we were very pleased with the food. Service was prompt and attentive. I'm certain the atmosphere in the summer is really great at this place. We will certainly return to try the hotdogs and pizza. read more

I needed a beer after the slow rollercoaster of winding roads to get to Highland. Found this place just off the main road and really enjoyed it. I had a flight of beers, our server was awesome. Staff was super friendly, beers were cold and the food was great! It's decorated with dog pics so that's a plus. I had a Cobb salad. The avocado sauce was surprisingly spicy to my delight. Brother 1 had a burger, he didn't give me a bite but he ordered medium and it looked perfectly medium. The juices were flowing. I did pick at his fries though. The surprise of the meal was the Cuban sandwich brother 2 ordered. We are in town from Miami so there were some hard eye rolls when brother 2 ordered a Cuban Sandwich in Highland, NC. But he inhaled that thing! We each got to try the mojo pork and it was delish. It wasn't the correct bread for a true Cuban sandwich but I'm assuming Cuban bread isn't easy to come by in North Carolina. Lol. Service: A+ Food: A+ Beer Selection: A+ read more

This might be our favorite place to go in Highlands! It's very casual and laid-back, the bartender from Russia is probably one of the nicest people in all of Highlands. We will definitely keep coming here. read more

The Ugly Dog Pub - This is my dog Charlie he passed away just a few weeks ago, I definitely wanna put his picture on the wall - New American Near Me - Highlands, North Carolina

Stopped in for a beer. Nice atmosphere. Service attentive. Had the ugly dog dip app. It was delish! We hope to return again when our travels bring us back to the area. read more

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Hiking and exploring Highlands is so fun. Waterfalls everywhere. And the Ugly Dog Pub food is awesome! Grilled chicken breast sandwich with bacon, brie, candied jalapeños and apple butter and a side of blue cheese cole slaw! Holy Cow! Now I need another hike to work it off. I looking forward to returning soon. read more

This place is amazing! Reasonably priced, delicious food, great local drafts, what's more to love?! Came on a Tuesday and got the 4$ draft special great deal! Had the burger and ugly dog dip, delicious!! Fries were amazing! read more

The Ugly Dog Pub - New American Near Me - Highlands, North Carolina

Food, service, and atmosphere were really good. Glad we picked this hidden gem for our last day in highlands.

If you are in the Highlands, you must must must go visit here!!! Order first the fried green tomatoes as an appetizer and later whatever you want; Oh, and the nitro beer Guinness like beer! YOU WILL RETURN! I truly love this place. The atmosphere is amazing! There is food for everyone, and it's nice and basic with a Southern twist. I LOVE THE UGLY DOG PUG! read more

The Ugly Dog Pub - Fried green tomatoes, of course , and fish wrap. - New American Near Me - Highlands, North Carolina

This is the best pub food I've ever had. So good. The service is great. Atmosphere is cozy and fun. A must stop in the area. Recommend the Bloody Mary and the tater tots. read more

The food was great, our first bartender was wonderful. We sat at the bar. But when the bartender switched it took an ugly turn. Lacking service, when we asked for the check she grabbed our plates without even checking to see if we were done. My husband had half of a serving of fries and a burger still on his plate! He was still eating! The bar is nice, with a nice environment but a pushy, in a hurry bartender was not great. Besides that, I will definitely be visiting again! read more

I absolutely love The Ugly Dog. I went in recently and while was it busy. Especially for a Tuesday. I sat at the bar with my husband. We wanted a table but there was a wait because there was only two servers on the floor. Our bartender was Jasmine. It took a while for her to get to us, but she did acknowledge us. At first annoyed, we had to wait then I realized that she was ALSO Serving. When she got to us, she was quick to make our drinks and put our food in. The food was delicious and came quickly once put in. There was also an obscene amount of dishes when asked about it. I was informed that there was no dishwasher. And all glass were being washed by the bartender. There was also a very pregnant server who looked like she was going to faint. Clearly everyone was overwhelmed and overworked. I truly felt bad for the employees. read more

Amazing service and food . Drinks are perfectly made, and every time I come here everything is just as amazing .

We were on vacation and saw this cute pub. Good food, good price, good service. I recommend the Ugly dog guacamole burger and fries.

Amazing place for a variety of foods. The fried green tomatoes and grilled Brussels sprouts were very good. The Reuben was one of the best I have had. That is my go to for this place. The margarita pizza was just what our grand daughter loves. We love this place but so do many others. There is always a crowd. read more

*this review is on my experience not so much food. Food is very good and I have eaten here before but this time the experience ruined any benefit of good food. Checked in with host on a Saturday. Was full but a few spots at the bar and no one waiting. Was told it would be 30 mins for 2 plus a baby. Cool. We will wait. "Can we wait at the bar with him in our lap?" "No." "Can we wait over at this stand up bar ledge away from everyone?" "No." "Can we wait near the bar since this is a pub?" "No...servers will need to get by you!" (Me looking confused because the kitchen door does not go by the bar to get to the main room tables) "So where do we wait for the table?" "Ummm you can wait outside or go shop and we can call you." "So with a toddler you want us to wait outside in 35° weather?" "Or you can wait in your car!" "Can we speak with a manager?" "No. She is behind a the bar serving and really busy". Needless to say to avoid sitting in our car our outside in the cold we went elsewhere. We 100% understand that everyone is dealing with staffing issue. We were willing to wait. Even longer if needed. And stand while waiting. But we were not willing to wait outside in the snow while waiting. A group of 10 came in just after us. I wonder if they wanted to wait outside since most of them were older. You are a pub. Pubs get busy and full. People love having a drink or two while waiting. Will be back but never on a cold or rainy day and never when there is a wait. read more

The food is delicious- unfortunately there is always a long wait to get in and a long wait to get your food so don't go there in a hurry or too hungry- be prepared to be patient. Staff is friendly and doing the best they can. read more